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Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. The tech industry has long had an obsession with youth. This is seen in how the industry conducts itself, who investors look to invest in, how people look at hiring in the world of startups, as well as which programs are being targeted by DOGE, and which ones aren’t, as they look to make the government more efficient. Over the last few months, the Department of Government Efficiency has aggressively looked for waste and fraud within the federal government. It started with organizations that do not come to mind for the average American, like the United States Agency For International Development, or USAID, which focuses on deploying aid to foreign countries for a variety of efforts centered around health, disaster aid, and economic development. DOGE came in like a wrecking ball to the organization, and as reported by ABC News in February, 4,080 employees worldwide were placed on leave and an...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Companies and products are often designed with younger generations, like Gen Z and Millennials, in mind. However, this emphasis often causes the industry to overlook older generations who also need technology tailored to their needs. One would think this would be an obvious market, given that Gen X and Boomers hold more wealth than younger generations. That wealth alone makes them an attractive customer base because they can afford the products and services being developed. Even so, there hasn’t been much focus from tech investors or founders on creating solutions for this demographic. How often have you come across a founder or investor saying, “We’re building this for Gen X or Boomers”? Rarely, if ever. This is a massively overlooked opportunity. One reason for this lack of attention is that the tech industry is perpetually focused on the future. Rarely does it look to the past. When developing...
Kevin Burnett has transitioned from the football field to help families create wealth. Burnett, an Inglewood, CA native, was drafted in 2005 as a 42th draft pick in the second round to the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN. He was signed to a 4-year deal valued at $3.31 million with the team, which included a $1.15 million signing bonus and $1.15 million guaranteed, Spotrac notes. Burnett played for four teams throughout his career, ultimately retiring with the Oakland Raiders in 2014. He earned a total of $20.57 million. In retirement, Burnett took some time to water into his wife and four kids, per Equities.com. He became more immersed in his children’s worlds, which also included sports. This led him to coach his older kids’ football and baseball team, sparking a newfound purpose. “Hey, this is where I see my purpose,” Burnett explained. “It’s where I see my angle.” In 2020, he secured a position at McArthur High School in Hollywood, FL, as a football coach. With poverty and...
This healthcare company is one funding round closer to fulfilling its goal of making mental health care more accessible. Backpack Healthcare shares in a press release that it has officially completed a $14 million Series A funding round led by Healthcare Capital. Also participating were ECMC, Techstars, Collab Capital, Bridge Builders Collaborative, Portland Seed Fund, Hopelab, Rethink Education, Genius Guild, and Unlikely Collaborators. Additional angel investors included Maya Ghosn Bichara and Jeffrey Walker. Founded in 2018 by Hafeezah Muhammad, the company uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to combat the current youth mental health crisis through its app and teletherapy services, specifically honing in on those with Medicaid insurance coverage. “The funding we have raised underscores the U.S. healthcare system’s need for more inclusive, tech-enabled solutions to tackle the growing pediatric mental health crisis,” said Muhammad, who also serves as the company’s CEO....
In many cases, capitalism is a social construct that has caused irreversible damage to society. From the decentralization of humanity to the allure that more money somehow means greater ease in life. The notion has conditioned people to prioritize wealth at any cost. But Bad Boy warned us about some of the heartaches that come with earning a lot of money in their 1997 hit “Mo Money Mo Problems.” Due to the capitalist society, especially in America, many people who do possess a certain amount of privilege are not ranked among the top earners. Furthermore, those who face systemic barriers and societal woes sometimes find themselves at the bottom of the wealth totem pole — labeling them poor. The United States Census Bureau is the agency responsible for measuring and determining poverty. According to the agency’s website, “the official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food...
California just made a historic move, passing legislation that will offer healthcare to all undocumented immigrants. According to The Associated Press, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Thursday (June 30), which includes a $307.9 billion operating budget and will provide coverage to an additional 764,000 people between the ages of 26 and 49. What this means is that the west coast state made a commitment to providing low-income adults with access to California’s Medicaid program by the year 2024, regardless of their immigration status. “This will represent the biggest expansion of coverage in the nation since the start of the Affordable Care Act in 2014,” said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California. “In California, we recognize (that) everybody benefits when everyone is covered.” NEW: Just signed our budget. California will now be the first state in the nation to achieve universal access to healthcare coverage. This is what being “pro-life” ACTUALLY looks...
Zing Health has a new chief medical officer! According to PR Newswire , Trent Haywood, MD, JD has been named chief medical officer of the Chicago-based provider of Medicare Advantage plans. Dr. Haywood previously served as senior vice president in the Office of Clinical Affairs and chief medical officer for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) Association where he represented the BCBS system on clinical matters that affected over 106 million of its members. During his time with BCBS, he also led the development of clinical programs, medical policy, and technology platforms. “Dr. Haywood is a true clinician executive with deep experience in technology and population health innovation,” said Dr. Eric E. Whitaker , Zing Health’s CEO in an official press release. “During his 20-plus year career in healthcare, Dr. Haywood has focused on improving population health, and his values align perfectly with Zing Health’s mission to address social determinants of health at scale.” Throughout...
Women are continuing to break barriers. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure could soon become the first Black woman to run Medicare Services, reports Business Standard. Brooks-LaSure has been selected by the Biden administration to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which includes Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and children’s health insurance. With an extensive career in government, Brooks-LaSure brings expertise from her start as managing director at the Manatt Health consultancy along with her roles in health policy through positions held at Congress, the White House, and CMS during the Obama administration. She also served as a member of Biden’s transition landing team for the Department of Health and Human Services. In her role as head of CMS — the agency that oversees government health insurance programs for 1 out of 3 Americans — Brooks-LaSure will play a monumental part in decimating the $4 trillion U.S. health care economy. CMS is responsible for...
Another Black-led company has achieved unicorn status! CityBlock, which bills itself as a “primary care startup” that specifically targets underserved communities, has just announced that it has raised $160 million in its latest funding round led by General Catalyst, according to MedCity News. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cityblock Health (@cityblockhealth) The company, which was co-founded by Dr. Toyin Ajayi, has become the latest Black-led company to achieve unicorn status — that is, when a privately-owned start-up company achieves a valuation of $1 billion or more. Yesterday, we told you that Black-owned and operated Calendly has also achieved unicorn status. “We are fortunate to be in a position where we’ve started to see proof points of our model,” Dr. Ajayi, CityBlock’s co-founder and chief health officer, said to MedCity News. “It’s personal for all of us. I’m a family doctor and I still see patients.” The Stanford-educated doctor previously served as...
If you want to see a change in a broken system, it’s best to make it happen on your own. Morehouse School of Medicine and CommonSpirit Health have joined forces for a 10-year, $100 million partnership that will increase access to culturally competent care and reduce health disparities. According to PR Newswire, the partnership will combat the underlying causes of health disparities through the development and training of more Black physicians. CommonSpirit Health (CommonSpirit) is one of America’s largest health systems with locations in 21 states coast to coast and Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is not only one of America’s leading educators of primary care physicians but a historically known Black medical school. Their joint undergraduate and graduate medical education program will train and educate the next generation of culturally competent health clinicians and researchers. “Of the 21,863 students entering medical school in 2019, only 1,626 were Black — and only 619 were...
The coronavirus pandemic is affecting pretty much everything. With schools closing and more employees forced to work from home, cable services are stepping up to help. According to Variety , Comcast is expanding its broadband service for low-income families starting Monday (Mar. 16). The cable provider will increase speeds and give free access for 60 days. Comcast will provide these new features through the Internet Essentials program. Through the program, low-income families can sign up as new customers to receive free internet. Additionally, a faster Mbps will become the new standard speed. Normally, the service costs $9.95 per month for qualified households. “Our hope is that broader access and faster speeds will help all of our Internet Essentials customers more easily work from home, access educational resources, obtain important government health care alerts, and stay in contact with their families during this difficult time,” Dana Strong, Comcast Cable’s president of consumer...
For many patients, just getting to their doctor’s appointments is an uphill battle. Medical or cost restrictions may make public transportation and ride sharing not a viable option. Nearly 4 million adults and children with chronic conditions miss or delay medical appointments each year, because they don’t have a ride. On the other side of the equation, hospitals often have a hard time finding quality transportation partners that are reliable. Many don’t follow instructions or provide a quality of care that meet the standards of the hospital. Entrepreneur Erica Plybeah saw this gap between the patients and the hospitals firsthand with her own type-2 diabetic grandmother, a double-leg amputee who used a wheelchair for the latter part of her life. Her main transportation was her daughter, Plybeah’s mom, who worked full-time and had a hard time getting her back and forth to doctor appointments. There was no access to other forms of transportation in their small town. Thanks to almost a...